Granada TV Series: The Caesars (1968) 1/6 Augustus

[@davidcoleman2796]

This is one of the best if you love great old TV and history . I have watched it a few times .

[@paulleverton9569]

Try to spot all the actors who appeared in I, CLAUDIUS, 8 years later. Here's one to get you started, Thrasyllus (Tiberius' astrologer) is played by Kevin Stoney in both THE CAESARS and I, CLAUDIUS. John Paul plays Cassius Chaerea (assassin of Caligula) in this and Agrippa in I.CLAUDIUS. Wanda Ventham, mother of Benedict Cumberbatch, and Freddie Jones, father of Toby Jones are both in this.

[@Hellserch]

Great production which treats the viewer as an informed participant rather than children watching a pantomime. The politics are subtle and deadly; Augustus is of particular interest. He was the author of many deaths and his subtlety is well portrayed. Particularly with his summary treatment of Posthumous, who like most imperial progeny was vain and foolish. Livia was a schemer but she had nothing on Augustus who silently set his threats aside. He was so good that he fooled Robert Graves. Or perhaps Graves had a subtle mind but had debts that needed to be paid hence the pot constantly boiling in his novels.

[@SavingHistory]

This is my favorite Tiberius of all of them that ever appeared in Media (George Baker, Peter O’ Toole, etc). He gave us a Tiberius more similar to the histories….dissembling, but politically clever, and deliberately obtuse. Brilliant job!

[@SKILLIUSCAESAR]

I’m really digging what they’re doing with a young Tiberius on Domina… aside from the mommy fetish, which I could definitely do without lol. I like how upfront everyone already is about his “unlike-ability” and taking after his dad… but he’s clever and most useful to Augustus, nonetheless.

[@SavingHistory]

@@SKILLIUSCAESAR Agreed! And the young actor who plays the part does a bang-up job!!! He’s really good at giving us an in-depth, young Tiberius. Not sure how I feel about the mommy-issues either, but then again, who’s to say? The man did completely cut his mother out of his life, out of the running of the Empire, and then didn’t even attend her funeral when she died.

[@paulleverton9569]

Even though Morell only portrays the older Tiberius, so you don't get to see his backstory of being made to divorce the love of his life and marry the daughter of Augustus - a woman he disliked intensely, Andre Morell still managed to create huge empathy for the Emperor who never wanted really wanted to be one. The fact that he was one of a few Emperors to self limit his own powers and refuse attempts to make him a God says a lot about him.

[@paulleverton9569]

@@SavingHistory Young Tiberius? This starts when he was nearly 56 years old, just before he became Emperor. And Andre Morell was 58 when he did the part. Are you sure you're not mixing him up with one of the actual young actors playing an actually young character?

[@SavingHistory]

@@paulleverton9569 No, my comment about the young Tiberius was in response to someone else’s comment about the show Domina, and the actor who played the 16-year old Tiberius. Maybe that comment isn’t visible any longer?

[@davidcoleman2796]

I'm going to watch all this again . The England really made so many great shows back then.

[@ZipSlipHollingbrook]

One of the great facets of this this series vs I Claudius is the choices made by the actor portraying Tiberius. We know from history that Tiberius had a socially displeasing manner, but what that means is totally up to interpretation. George Baker played him as brooding, sulky and somewhat diffident, where as Andre Morell plays him in a way we might interpret today as being, 'on the spectrum.' He is cerebral and methodical, and we're led to understand that people's dislike of him would spring primarily from his coldness. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Leonard Nemoy had seen this series and borrowed from Tiberius for Spock.

[@MrRight1000]

I tend to agree with you. Although "I, Claudius" had a far greater reach all over the world , Andre Morell, the actor who plays Tiberius in "The Caesars", circa 1968 is unparel, bar none. Sir Laurence Olivier must be turning in his grave from jealousy 😁

[@richardscanlan3419]

@@MrRight1000 Andre Morrell had a minor role as the Roman procurator Sextus in ' Ben Hur" 1959. Very fine actor.

[@michaelrupp8837]

Agreed. The truth is likely between the two extremes shown in the series. Albeit - here they went out of their way to marginalize his perverted qualities. We can never know how true those original reports were, but I have to assume they were reasonably credible.

[@AaronHungwell]

I love how the actor that played Drusilus, later on played the same character in I, Claudius, thought totally different.

[@jimmcdougle3404]

This is one of the best shows regarding the Empire that I’ve seen. The acting is amazing. The subtlety of the actor playing Tiberius is particularly interesting. And of course, Freddie Jones is amazing.

[@MrRight1000]

This is so until one gets to Caligula. That's where it starts failing miserably... alas 😥

[@richardscanlan3419]

@@MrRight1000 yes,John Hurt did a far better job as Caligula.

[@MrRight1000]

@@richardscanlan3419 However, in my opinion, what makes "I, Claudius" unforgettable is Siân Phillips. The nuance, the subtlety of her acting... one can hear her think. And what makes "The Caesars" tick is Tiberius. British theater is unmatched in the world.

[@richardscanlan3419]

@@MrRight1000 Agree on both counts. Sian Phillips was just .... cold.She emitted pure evil.Or,at least that's how I saw it.

[@MrRight1000]

@@richardscanlan3419 "I have done many impious things - no great ruler can do otherwise." -- Livia to Claudius.

[@melissakrauss1266]

What I don't understand is that Tiberius in this series always tries to do the right thing even though he hates being emperor, and no matter what he does, it blows up in his face.

[@EM-lz9kg]

He never wanted to be emperor & it came so late , he became v paranoid

[@EM-lz9kg]

He knows that he’s only choice is to be a Tyrant as he isn’t loved he has to be feared

[@Hellserch]

As depicted, Tiberius was a serious administrator, who had been schooled in the Republican tradition of responsibility and rectitude. This worked, if you consider the ordered Treasury and provincial peace. The problem is that he is depicted as a polar opposite to Augustus, who we are to believe was loved by all and walked on water. That’s not true. Augustus had many aristocratic enemies, who he tried to eliminate but he had been in power much longer, which conferred more dignitas and power, overtime. Tiberius was the most hated of all political beings: the inheritor. There, not by skill or talent but simply bloodline. It was always a rocky road for him.

[@rossl5908]

​@Hellserch Give me examples please of the real Augustus's personality and not the propaganda given out in things like I, Claudius. I take it it the real one was closer to his portrayal in Rome?

[@Knight79334]

@rossl5908 I wish I had an easy answer for you. Depends on how deep you want to go, but there will never be a clear answer to who he really was. If you're referring to Graves using Tacitus as a major source of inspiration, then i see your argument regarding propaganda. Tacitus despised Lyvia, which influenced his perception of Tiberius wnd Augustus. Whether or not that hatred was fair is impossible to know. If you haven't read Tacitus, that's a good place to start. It's heavy reading but worth it. Take into account that Tacitus wasn't born until about 40 years after Agustus died making him vulnerable to the politics of his time. However, I don't think Rome is anymore accurate. HBO admitted that they were trying to be more entertaining than accurate. Yet it's more accurate than most. The problem is, this was two thousand years ago, thanks to time, politics, and man's tendency to alter facts, we have to be open minded about who they really were. Both Rome and I Claudius were written through the lens of 20th and 21st century thinking, both are skewed by that lens. Yet both are extremely entertaining. Both could be spot on, both could be completely wrong, or maybe it lands in the middle. We'll never know for sure.

[@alisonjudithbailey9125]

Wonderful Sonia Dresdel, looking v good, as Livia....

[@MrRight1000]

Andre Morell as Tiberius shines supreme across both productions. But Livia... I'd rather vote for Sian Phillips, hers is a stellar performance 🌟

[@matthewgilmore4307]

Fantastic. I, Claudius before I, Claudius

[@miltonhernandez4541]

Thank you very much for uploading this special series, I like it a lot. I enjoy any vintage movies of the ancient Roman empire more than what's out there today.

[@davidcoleman2796]

One of rhe best . Great stuff from back in the day .

[@donaldbonawitz7894]

I was able to find and watch eps 5. Caligula no problem I m gonna guess it was uploaded!

[@EM-lz9kg]

Tiberius had to be a tyrant as he wasn’t loved , only survival was fear , many aristocrats of Rome hadn’t forgiven Augustus yet tolerated him. He brought security to the Roman Empire and Augustus was a clever politician by getting the plebeians on his side .

[@Hellserch]

He, liked the rest of the imperial family, lived in constant fear. We are often told that he knew of many plots to assassinate him but tolerated them because he at least knew who was trying to kill him and could respond if necessary. I don’t believe that for a moment. He would have had to kill most of the Senate, all of the time if he had not been able to forebear these plots. He would happily have continued to kill his opponents but they were too important and numerous. Machiavelli was wrong: the new prince cannot initially kill off all his enemies and sit back, basking in love after vanquishing your enemies. The reality is he/she has to continually kill their never ending supply of enemies. That’s why dictatorships are no fun.

[@gabschasse600]

Wonderful production !

[@tiberiuscave4617]

The main character of the series is, at it seems, mostly Tiberius. This is where The Caesars bests I, Claudius, and by a sideral margin. The latter series' main character is of course Claudius, but to make him look sympathetic they are forced to straight up ignore his less pleasant aspects, to the point they completely left out some historical events (like the bloody massacre of Scribonianus' and Messalina's followers), they inverted some of his character traits (he's shown as scared by gladiators, while Claudius was notoriously fond on them!), and whitewashed him to the point he's hardly recognizable anymore. Hence he's shown as this kind epitome of wronged innocence - something which hardly has anything to do with the historical Claudius. It's easy to sympathize with such a character. This series, instead, is more brave and more interesting: it depicts Tiberius, but it also depicts his less pleasant and more disconcerning aspects. His alleged sexual proclivities are mentioned, the last, controversial years of his reign are there and are well analysed. But there's an enormous layer of nuance, of character building that still manages to bring this character to life, and to make him sympathetic. This is valid for most of the characters, but Tiberius' case is exemplary and praiseworthy, I can't stress this enough. Also, there's no 'villain' in The Caesars, no 'good guy' (every character is flawed in their own way), while I, Claudius has a clear cut division between good and bad characters, with hardly any ambiguity. The bad traits of the villains are overly bloated and exaggerated to a laughable and psychotic extent, good guys are accurately whitewashed. I understand I, Claudius is based on two novels, so the historical Claudius is perhaps never intended to be depicted there (though Graves was adamant that his novels were historically accurate) - hence I should not be so harsh. Still, this masterpiece of a series is an example of how to bring an historical figure to life, to depict him/her as a true human being, not as a distorted cherry-picked caricature.

[@tiberiuscave4617]

@@Lily-zd6mg Certainly this series offers a less positive appraisal of them both, and it's not kind toward them. Yet, it's certainly closer to our accounts, at least to how Tacitus depicts them both. In particular, Germanicus' naivety in handling the Rhine mutinies is well narrated by Tacitus.

[@epidaurusii1970]

@@Lily-zd6mg Agrippina was pretty ambitious in regards of all the mess happened after Germanicus' death

[@epidaurusii1970]

Completely agree. This series had done a really good job in depicting Tiberius as a multi-layered human being versus some polar crazy stuff. I believed Mackie had done a good job in capturing Tiberius' relationship with Augustus, Livia and Sejanus. I, Claudius was more a satirical caricature to me, a common one loved by the British. Not sure why he had written a historical novel in that way. My only guess would be that was related to UK's political situations at that time. But that's my pure guess without any research.

[@Lily-zd6mg]

@@epidaurusii1970 yea I agree with that, I was just referring to before his death I think she was overly ambitious

[@optimusprinceps3526]

By Jove spot on assessment

[@SabrinaMarler]

Its interesting to compare two scenes. One where Tiberius ask the Astrologer to go over there initial meeting and how he survived the test. The second where Augustus tests his Grandson and he fails.

[@Clyne-sv4hd]

Fantastic series i loved i claudius but prefer the Caesars the acting is brilliant and Andre Morel as Tiberius is outstanding some of the best acting I've seen. ..👍

[@dabedwards]

A tremedous series! What a great character actor André Morell was. The Interrogator in the original TV "1984", then Quatermass in the "Pit", then Lord Wendover in Stanley Kubrik's "Barry Lyndon". He has great presence on screen. It is perhaps through the relative merits of the scripts of this and "I.Claudius", Morell invests the character of Tiberius with a subtlety and plausability which George Baker as Tiberius could not rival. He was perhaps miscast.

[@MrRight1000]

I don't believe that George Baker had been miscast as Tiberius in "I, Clausius" - he was effective in his own right. It is just that Andre Morell has surpassed him in the role. Andre was just better.

[@therearenoshortcuts9868]

second time watching this series again after 5 years picking up on more subtleties i missed the first time - love it! for example: the conversation between Livia and Tiberius before news arriving that Posthumous has been killed, Tiberius hinting that he "knows" Augustus better than Livia, then calling for witnesses before Crispus can deliver the news: the first time i watched it, i actually thought Tiberius was actually just being cautious and being a stickler for protocol then i thought that Tiberius correctly "guessed" the orders were to have Posthumous disposed of (he's still taking a risk by letting Crispus go) because he "knows" Augustus' personality and then i finally realized that he didn't have to guess and always knew that Posthumous will be killed, since in his earlier conversation with Augustus - August already said Tiberius will be heir, and Germanicus will follow him - hence indicating that Posthumous will 'play no role' - Livia then said August stays emperor by eliminating all other possible emperors - hence August is actually protecting Germanicus by killing Posthumous and not just helping Tiberius... took me watching a few times before getting that - god damn IQs have dropped since the 50s put a show like this on Netflix today and it would fly over most people's heads LOL

[@EM-lz9kg]

Tiberius didn’t want the responsibility, Augustus made many enemies with the aristocracy in his rise , stealing from them and killing of Rome & Brutus was made a public enemy by Augustus publicly, he had huge support & if Augustus didn’t secure a dynasty, they would of been murdered on the pretence for the republic

[@Hellserch]

All well said. Getting power and maintaining it are two different skills. Augustus has them both covered. Very covertly murderous man (an Emperor by definition) with a formidable skill set, learned at the feet of a genius.

[@rossl5908]

​@@HellserchJulius?

[@bentmetal666]

Thank you so much for uploading this.

[@MrRight1000]

Granada ought to have this brilliant series digitally restored!!!

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

Network DVD, the company who restored many classic productions for DVD, went in to liquidation in May 2023 :(

[@MrRight1000]

@@Stephen_Lafferty What a shame. Brilliant acting! Thank God, I, Claudius has survived and still thrives.

[@EM-lz9kg]

Recommend “ Domina “ brilliant series about livia , it’s incredible as it shows her life prior to Augustus & how they met & worked together, I adore I Claudius, yet Augustus worked with livia to kill off threats and it shows how intelligent she was

[@danybey1920]

Claudius makes Augustus look stupid. Domina has Livia as The Mastermind behind pretty much all the amazing thing Augustus did and she even seeming responsible for the unbelievable loyalty and love Agrippa had for Augustus. I won't argue with you that it's an amazing show and i absolutely loved it but the mischaracterization of some of my favorites historical figures really upset me. While at the same time just knowing what I know about Augustus there is no doubt in my mind that woman who he chose to marry despite the scandalous situation it put them in and stayed with even though she never gave him a son had to have truly been the love of his life and from what we know about Agrippa e.i extremely intelligent and just as ambitious and brilliant as Augustus and literally the 1/3 of the not-emperor that Augustus swears he wasn't Livia have to be pretty f****** brilliant and actually brought something to the table when it came to team augustus's dream for Rome. Agrippa was extremely loyal and from what we know of History seems to be the person who Augustus loved the most and that's only because we don't get a lot on Livia. I'm sure if we actually had more history on livia we will learn just how absolutely brilliant, politically savvy, ruthless she was as well as how much she and Augustus truly loved each other. Like I said the show is great but having agrippa be more of a jock bro type of dude instead of the intellectual equal he was to Augustus and have him be jealous of Augustus when there is actually plenty of evidence that he practically shared almost equal power with Augustus (an example because I know be questioned: he had a ring which had a Augustus's seal on it meaning that if he passed a law or made a written decree then stamped it was legal and as far as anybody else was concerned came from Augustus. Agrippa never abused this power nor tried to seize power from his friend.) Augustus always fully trusted Agrippa and I think the fact that he gave him this power speaks to that (as for that time Agrippa was exiled some historian seem to believe that there is evidence of some political that Augustus needed his most trusted friend to handle and didn't want anybody else knowing about which is why when he came back is seeming replacement was immediately forgotten) Which brings up another gripe I have about the show :having agrippa and Augustus trust Livia More than each other which in turn makes the unbelievable love and loyalty they had between them rest entirely on her scheming is some BS. If you actually made it this far down this long rant which is a very long way of me saying Me saying " i dislike this show because of the mischaracterization of some my favorites historical people but it's also great" First of all thank you for reading 🥰 secondly I'm so sorry for putting this long-ass comment in your reply 🤗

[@SKILLIUSCAESAR]

@@danybey1920great comment 😂 I hadn’t even heard of Agrippa’s exile! I see I’m still green afterall. Loving Domina immensely, but agree, they could tone down the Livia-does-it-all theme.

[@jt7638]

Thank you for uploading this!

[@rorschach1985ify]

Thank you so much for this, but like another person said I hope you can upload the 5th episode so we can finish out this miniseries. This show is hard as hell to find on the internet and just as hard to find on video or dvd.

[@tarnopol]

Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnyydJhmga2DmpY

[@70snostalgia]

From the BBC's Dead SeaTapes. Ancient video don't age too good.

[@EM-lz9kg]

Rome hbo is also very well made

[@Hellserch]

Truly great. I was sad to see that it only had 2 seasons but it was reputedly the most expensive production of HBO’s and it didn’t have the rating. But incredible nuanced acting and gorgeous production values. Watch it once every year, to flush out the mediocrity I have to watch most of the time.

[@paulleverton9569]

I've been widely ridiculed for announcing that I consider this superior to I, CLAUDIUS. But I do. Maybe because I saw Andre Morell before other, far more critical depictions, I have an abiding empathy for Tiberius. I dearly wish they could have done something to edit out all the background noise but you become accustomed to it after a few minutes. A longstanding ambition [dream] of mine is to finance [with a lottery win?] a remake, but I doubt Morell could be bettered - or even equalled.

[@tarnopol]

Thanks! Great series. But episode 5 is missing/hidden. :)

[@tarnopol]

It’s no longer missing/hidden-thanks!

[@user-wb7lv7qj2t]

Oh bollocks to this it’s going off.

[@frankburklin1116]

Learned to my disappointment the correct pronunciation of Caesar is with a k sound ,thus, the German Kaiser would be an accurate pronunciation or very close to the Latin language.

[@albertvitela4379]

It isn't. It's Chesare.

[@westbethkid]

Comparing this to "I, Claudius"--I love both productions (though I wish this was better preserved and in color) Livia here, is just ruthless and devious--but not really that smart. The penultimate scene with Tiberius, Crispus, Livia, Drusellus, and Sejanus--proves this. She is surprised that Posthumus has been killed, whereas Tiberius guessed he would be from his previous conversation with Augustus, and protected himself from any accusation of a coup or inpropriaty. The "I Claudius" Livia, makes things happen--whereas this one just basically insults her son continually. Claudius here is basically a moron. There is really no hint of the Derek Jacobi character, which I prefer. This Tiberius though-- is one of the best characters of either series!